This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7xc2xa7119 and/or 365 to 01202964.5 filed in China on Jan 12, 20001; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention relates to a lighter, and in particular a lighter which is not easily operable by a child.
There are in existence a large number of lighters. Because of the relatively simple way in which such lighters can be operated, it is considered desirable to incorporate safety mechanism into such conventional lighters to prevent unintentional use thereof, e.g. by children. Lighter incorporating self-retrieving safety mechanisms are disclosed in, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,538,417 and 6,099,297. Such safety mechanisms are usually very complex and thus costly and complicated to manufacture.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a lighter with an actuating mechanism which cannot be easily operable by a young child, so that the actuating mechanism effectively acts as a safety mechanism for preventing unintentional use of the lighter by young children.
It is also an object of the present invention to at least provide a useful alternative to the trade and public.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighter including a body and an actuator, wherein said body includes a spark generator and a container adapted to contain fuel under pressure, said body further including a longitudinal end at which a flame is adapted to be produced upon movement of said actuator relative to said body, wherein said actuator is movable relative to said body substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said body, wherein said actuator includes an outer surface which is operable by a user to move said actuator relative to said body, wherein said outer surface of said actuator is generally orthogonal to said longitudinal end of said body, and wherein said actuator is generally as long as said body.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighter including a body and an actuator, wherein said body includes a spark generator and a container adapted to contain fuel under pressure, said body further including a longitudinal end at which a flame is adapted to be produced upon movement of said actuator relative to said body, wherein said actuator is movable relative to said body substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said body, wherein said actuator is provided outside a lateral side of said body, and wherein said actuator is generally as long as said body.